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The first-ever supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to a seagoing vessel at the port of Amsterdam was carried out on Wednesday.

The Fure West, a chemical and oil tanker owned by Swedish firm Furetank Rederi, was bunkered at the Groene Kade (Green Quay) in the Amerikahaven harbour - the designated location for truck-to-ship LNG bunkering at the Dutch port.

Built in 2006, the 472-foot Fure West was last year retrofitted with Caterpillar Marine's Mak M 43 C dual-fuel engine, enabling it to run on LNG. Caterpillar also supplied the complete gas system for the tanker, including bunker stations, two LNG tanks measuring 4.15 meters by 24 meters and the vaporizer.

On Monday morning, the Fure West moored at the Oiltanking terminal for unloading. Then, on Tuesday, it made its way to the Groene Kade where the bunker delivery took place.

The LNG was transported in five tankers from the Gate terminal to the Amerikahaven by LNG supplier Titan LNG - an Amsterdam-based company that recently designed and developed what is said to be the first LNG bunkering pontoon in North West Europe, the Titan LNG Flex-Fueler.

Inland navigation vessels have been bunkering with LNG in the Amerikahaven since 2013; however, following recent changes to the quay, seagoing vessels are now also able to bunker there.

Harbour Master Marleen van de Kerkhof commented: "Port of Amsterdam is fully committed to making shipping sustainable. This is needed to provide a sustainable solution to the demands of logistics and regulation. The facilitation of safe bunkering operations with new and cleaner shipping fuels is a good example of this. The Groene Kade is now a temporary facility. Together with various partners such as Titan LNG, we are looking to create a more permanent bunker facility that is both safe and efficient. Today's bunkering operation was a successful first step in this direction."

Niels den Nijs, CEO of Titan LNG, remarked: "The use of LNG for shipping is on the rise, as a result of stricter environmental regulation, a sound business case and growing public pressure to make shipping cleaner."

Last month, Bunker Index reported that Furetank Rederi had signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Bomin Linde LNG for four Furetank ships to be supplied with LNG in the Baltic Sea region using a new LNG bunker supply vessel which Bomin Linde LNG will have under time-charter contract with shipowner Bernhard Shulte. Ship-to-ship deliveries are to be carried out both in port and offshore.

The new 7,500-cubic-metre Bernhard Shulte vessel is being chartered by a joint venture - established in November 2015 - in which Bomin Linde LNG has a 90 percent share and Klaipedos Nafta owns the remaining 10 percent.